Celebration = Worship

On Sunday (June 13) at 5 o’clock, cloudy, rain or shine, we’re going to have a great celebration down at Veteran’s Memorial Park, along with friends from other Episcopal churches in South County.   We’ll celebrate over 140 years of ministry in the name of Jesus Christ in southern Rhode Island.  We’ll celebrate the wonderful ways God has blessed us: love, health, family, a beautiful coastline, a wonderful church filled with fellow disciples, four brand new Christians, and whatever else you want to

Ordinary Time

The hangings in the church are green again.  That may not sound all that interesting to you, but try to remember the last time they were green.  It's been a while.  They've been white for Trinity Sunday and Easter, red for the Day of Pentecost and Holy Week, and purple for Lent.  We haven't seen green in months. 

But they're green again now.  And they'll be green for a while.  That's because we've entered into "Ordinary Time." 

"Ordinary" doesn't mean it's less important or anything.  It simply refers to the

Movie Night

Have you ever been to a drive-in movie?  Summer brought to mind a drive-in when considering possible events for another family night.  We’d like to bring together for a fun evening families with kids of all ages, or those without kids, or those who just like to have fun.  We can’t re-create a drive in, but we will instead create the St. Peter’s version by having movie night on the lawn.  Steve Lague and John DiPanni have rigged up a “screen” out front, and we will gather with blankets, chairs, coolers, or

Trinity Sunday

The Church calendar is a funny thing.  All year long we commemorate and celebrate certain things.  We celebrate events: the birth of Christ at Christmas, the resurrection of Christ on Easter, the arrival of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, and the like.  And we celebrate people: St. Francis of Assisi, the Blessed Virgin Mary, our patron, Saint Peter.

But on one very interesting Sunday, we celebrate neither an event, nor a person.  We celebrate a theological concept: the Trinity.

In lots of places, Trinity

Memorial Day

"In the body politic, one occasionally hears a specific criticism of the Iraq war that argues that the American people have not been asked to make any sacrifice in this conflict.

"Without weighing the merits of the nation's policy on Iraq, I wonder if this criticism is not misguided, probably aimed at the administration for political gain. For is it not so that the casualty rate in this war now numbers in the thousands? I wonder, too, if the brave souls in rehabilitation over at Walter Reed believe no sacrifice

Habitat for Humanity Bowl-a-Thon

On May 20, Old Mountain Lanes was once again the scene of the annual South County Habitat for Humanity Bowl-A-Thon fundraiser.  83 bowlers filled 21 lanes for a fun night and some healthy  competition.  Many familiar faces returned from last year and are already looking forward to next year.  American Power Conversion (APC) sent six teams  this year, and APC’s Kyle Russell bowled a combined three-game score of 637 to earn a prize of four movie tickets.

Ellen Jacke of Christ United Methodist

Rogation Days

This coming Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are Rogation Days, though you don't hear much about Rogation Days anymore.  The word rogation comes from the latin word "rogare," which means "to ask."  So Rogation Days were when Christians would ask God to bless their seeds and fields as they planted the crops that would (hopefully) feed their families and villages.

Rogation Days used to be a big deal, because so many more people were involved with farming and agriculture.  Churches would be filled with people

The Blessing Way

During the season of Lent we had the privilege of learning about the modern ciminal justice system from guests who work within that system every day.  They helped us examine the story of the Passion by sharing how the story affects the practice of their vocation.

One guest in particular captivated those present with her unique witness and courage.  Renee Calpin spoke about her struggle with addiction and time in prison, and her efforts to turn her life around on the other side.

Renee's story is an inspiring

Gateway Ministries

At last year’s Vestry retreat, we all shared stories about how we first got involved at St. Peter’s.  Not how or why we first came to St. Peter’s, but how or why we first really got involved.  Many people come through our doors, but only a fraction become active in a ministry beyond Sunday morning.  I wanted to know what it was that first got this group to take that next step.

Everyone went around the room, telling stories about their earliest experiences at St. Peter’s, and what got them to move beyond